


Catch Me When I Fall (Asleep)

by Bird_of_Dreams



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Follows canon timeline events, M/M, Sleepy Cuddles, Sleepy Yuuri is adorable and Viktor cannot handle, Sleepy confessions, sleepy yuuri
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-04
Updated: 2017-02-04
Packaged: 2018-09-21 18:15:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,062
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9561077
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bird_of_Dreams/pseuds/Bird_of_Dreams
Summary: Yuuri, Viktor learned very early on, was a rather reserved person.Fortunately for him and his pretty much nonexistent patience, he also found out fairly early on that the closest he could get to seeing the uninhibited side of Yuuri, without plying him with copious amounts of alcohol, was to be around him when he was sleepy.Or, alternatively: Viktor discovers that a sleepy Yuuri is like a drunk Yuuri in that he has not many (read: no) inhibitions whatsoever. Ft. a touchy, clingy, super honest Yuuri





	

**Author's Note:**

> Look who got dragged back into sports anime, or more specifically, figure skating hell. Oh well, Yuri on Ice saved 2k16, saved anime, saved me, so #noregrets
> 
> This was supposed to be a quick, short 2kish oneshot, but it somehow turned into a 10k word monster. As a quick note, this story follows the canon storyline events from the very beginning and is from Viktor’s POV. Also, it’s legit been a while since I last wrote, so forgive me if this is crap.

Yuuri, Viktor learned very early on, was a rather reserved person.

It may have been partly due to his cultural upbringing or his naturally introverted personality, but whatever it was, it soon became clear that getting his new student to open up to him was something that was easier said than done.

It wasn’t to say that Yuuri was a bad student—he was hard-working to a fault, receptive to his advice, and willing to put his full effort into everything that Viktor threw at him. But while his flustered reactions towards his flirting was adorable (Yuuri’s cheeks turned the loveliest shade of pink when he blushed), Viktor had arrived to Hasetsu expecting to find the passionate, stunning firecracker that had all but swept him off his feet at last year’s banquet, not the shy, admittedly endearing young man who could barely look him in the eyes without blushing.

So yes, having to coax Yuuri out of his shell was a challenge he did not anticipate, but at the same time, it wasn’t without its rewards. The small, shy smiles that Yuuri shot him sometimes or the way his caramel eyes brightened when Viktor praised him should have been enough, but Viktor has always been a selfish person.

He wanted to know more—he wanted to get to know the person who hid a competitive side behind his more mild-mannered demeanor, the one who escaped to the ice to practice whenever his anxiety became too much, the stunning, sensual dancer who had captivated him so during their initial meeting.

And so Viktor tried to bolster his confidence, pushing Yuuri past his comfort zone and forcing him to draw upon his untapped potential by assigning Eros for him to skate (though admittedly, he did have some selfish reasons behind that assignment as well), freely showering him with compliments (and whenever he could sneak them in, touches), and encouraging his interactions with Yurio by sending them to what seemed to be pointless excursions to temples and waterfalls.

But progress was still painfully slow-going. No matter what he did, Yuuri still always seemed to subconsciously hold back some part of himself, watching everything he said and did with an iron control.

Not for the first time, Viktor wondered what it would take to get Yuuri to loosen up a little. He glanced down at the small cup of sake he was nursing in his hands and wondered, fleetingly, if could sneak Yuuri a cup (or twenty) of alcohol under the guise of helping him relax so that he could more easily discover his Eros. He quickly suppressed that train of thought before he became convinced to carry it out.

Fortunately for him and his pretty much nonexistent patience, he also found out fairly early on that the closest he could get to seeing the uninhibited side of Yuuri, without plying him with copious amounts of alcohol, was to be around him when he was sleepy.

However, it wasn’t as though any regular sleepiness would do. It had to be the kind of sleepiness borne from a tiredness so complete that Yuuri became too mentally and physically worn out to even see straight, much less have any control over what he said or did. Only then did he completely drop his guard.

The first time Viktor had discovered it was completely accidental.

It was a particularly long and grueling day of practice. Viktor had already coached Yurio in the morning on his step sequence for Agape and he was scheduled to work with Yuuri on his choreography for Eros in the afternoon.

Viktor knew that prior to practice with him, Yuuri had been training in Minako’s studio since the early morning hours. Yuuri had showed up to the rink already looking tired, but he adamantly refused when Viktor suggested that he take the rest of the day off, and even pushed for them to stay an extra hour in order to make sure that he got the choreography down.

By the time Viktor finally put his foot down and told Yuuri in no uncertain terms that they were to stop, even Viktor himself was looking noticeably drained. They left the rink soon after that and Viktor stepped out for a quick moment to change out of his sweaty clothes.

He had only left Yuuri alone for a moment, but when he came back, it was to the sight of Yuuri slumped down against the side of the lockers. His head was pressed uncomfortably against the hard metal and his legs were thrown out in a haphazard spread across the floor.

Viktor panicked at first, thinking that Yuuri had pushed himself too hard and had collapsed, but when he drew closer and heard his deep, measured breathing, he realized that Yuuri had merely fallen asleep.

He let out a near inaudible sigh and knelt down beside him. “Yuuri,” he murmured. “I know you must be tired, but we need to get you home.” When there was no response, Viktor shook his shoulder gently. “Yuuri.”

With his eyes still closed, Yuuri jutted his lips out in an unmistakable pout. “Don’t wanna…”

Viktor’s eyebrows shot up. Never would he have expected to hear Yuuri, soft-hearted, obedient, easily embarrassed Yuuri, use such a petulant tone. And as adorable as it was, Viktor couldn’t let it distract him from the task on hand.

“Yuuri,” he said a little more firmly. “You need to get out of those sweaty clothes before you get sick.” When there was still no response, Viktor decided to try another tactic. “Don’t make me take them off of you,” he purred.

Viktor was sure that his flirtatious words would shock Yuuri into action, but to his everlasting surprise, Yuuri dropped his head into the crook of Viktor’s shoulder.

He immediately froze up.

Yuuri seemed to take that as an open invitation—he boldly snuggled closer, gripping tightly onto Viktor’s shirt as he nuzzled his face into his shoulder.

If Viktor thought he was frozen before, he was a stone statue now. He awkwardly knelt there for another heartbeat or two, trying to maintain his own precarious balance on top of the addition of a sleeping Yuuri, who apparently liked to _cuddle_ in his sleep, God help him.

He was sure that at any moment now, the mysterious spell that seemed to have taken ahold of Yuuri would be broken and he would end up with an armful of flustered, apologetic student, but Yuuri blissfully slept on, unaware of Viktor’s inner turmoil.

Viktor waited a moment longer before attempting to disentangle himself, but at the movement, Yuuri made a petulant sound and merely buried closer, tightening his hold on his shirt. “Warm…”

Viktor softened as he looked down at the sleeping beauty (and Katsuki Yuuri was a sleeping beauty in every sense of the word with his long, sweeping eyelashes, partially parted lips, and soft, dark hair that tickled his neck with every exhale) clinging onto him. He didn’t know where this side of Yuuri came from, but he supposed there was a first for everything. Still, he had to get Yuuri back home and his legs were starting to cramp from holding such an awkward position for an extended time.

Carefully keeping one arm wrapped around Yuuri’s shoulder, he fumbled through his jacket pocket for a moment before he managed to extract his phone. He scrolled through his list of new contacts before pressing on the number that would connect him to Minako.

She answered on the third ring. “Viktor? What is it?”

“Hi!” he greeted softly, conscientiously keeping his volume lower than usual. “I was wondering if you would be able to come pick us up at the rink. There’s been…a situation.”

“What situation? Is Yuuri okay? What happened?”

“No, no, everything is fine,” he hurried to reassure. “It’s just…he won’t let go of me.”

“Won’t let go of you?” He could almost see the confusion on her face. “What do you mean—oh. Yuuri’s asleep right now, isn’t he?”

Viktor glanced down at his arms, momentarily distracted by the warm puffs of air that Yuuri was breathing into the thin fabric of his shirt. “Yes. How did you-”

“I’ll be there in 10 minutes.”  

As he waited for Minako to arrive, he carefully gathered Yuuri closer to him and slowly lifted him up onto the bench, where he repositioned the both of them into a more comfortable position.

Minako didn’t look too surprised to see Yuuri all but snuggling up against Viktor when she arrived. She clucked her tongue disapprovingly at the sleeping skater. “I knew this would happen. He overdid it today. I warned him about pushing himself too hard, but he’s as stubborn as they come.”

“What do you mean?”

“Are you able to carry him to my car?”

“Yes.” He waited until they were all loaded up in the vehicle before asking again. “What do you mean you warned him about pushing himself too hard? Did you know this would happen?”

Minako sighed as she turned out onto the road. “I suspected that it might. Yuuri has a truly impressive stamina, but even it’s not endless. The only time Yuuri gets like this,” she glanced back at the skater who was still happily snoozing away in the warm cocoon of Viktor’s arms, “is when he’s truly pushed himself past his limits.”

“So Yuuri becomes physically affectionate when he gets like this?” This was something Viktor could certainly get aboard with.

“He becomes unrestrained,” Minako corrected. “Yuuri basically has no control over himself when he’s at this state. He has no filter and usually ends up clinging to the person closest to him, though it seems as though he doesn’t remember anything he does or says the next day. But he is somewhat aware of the way he acts when he gets tired, so he doesn’t like it when other people see him when he’s like this.”

“Like what?”

By now, they had arrived back to Yu-topia. Minako stopped the car and turned around to stare him directly in the eyes, as if daring him to say something back. “Vulnerable.”

Viktor clutched Yuuri a little closer to his chest. “That’s understandable. I wouldn’t want others to see me like this either unless I’m around people I can trust.”

The ghost of a smirk crossed her lips and approval lit up in her eyes. “That’s true. Here, I’ll show you to his room.”

It was the first time that Viktor got to step foot inside of Yuuri’s room, what with Yuuri’s desperate attempts at fending him out no matter how many times he tried to cajole him into sleeping together, and he tried to take in as much of it as he could while carrying a snoozing Yuuri in his arms.

Minako noticed his inquisitive stare. “What is it?”

“I don't know, I was just expecting to see more. His walls seem to be…oddly blank?” This time a smirk most definitely crossed her face. She didn’t bother to answer his observation though and merely gestured for him to place Yuuri down on his bed.

Now came the hard part.

Viktor tried to set him down on the bed, but Yuuri wasn’t having it. “Nooo, warm…” he protested. He clung on tighter, refusing to relinquish his death grip on Viktor’s shirt. By now, Viktor would probably never be able to fully get all the wrinkles out.

“Katsuki Yuuri, you let go of him right now!” Minako chided.

Yuuri shook his head and continued to snuggle into Viktor as though he was his own personal body pillow.  “Yuuri,” Viktor breathed into his ear. “As much as I love having you in my arms, would you please let go? You need to get a good night’s sleep if you want to be well-rested for practice tomorrow.”

Yuuri clung on for a moment longer before sighing and finally letting go. As Viktor placed him down on his bed, Yuuri clutched his blankets close to his chest, as though he was trying to use them as a substitute for Viktor.

“He still needs to change out of his clothes.” Viktor pointed out.

“I’ll have Toshiya-san come in and help him change in a bit.” She straightened up and fixed him with a steely look. “Remember what I said, Viktor. Yuuri has no recollection of anything he does or says when he gets like this.”

Viktor shot her a slightly reproachful look. “Minako, as his coach, the last thing I want to do is to make him uncomfortable.”

“I know,” she sighed. “Just…just be careful with him, alright?”

“Of course.”

It seemed like what Minako had said about Yuuri not remembering anything was true. The next day, Yuuri didn’t act any differently towards him when they sat down to eat breakfast. He knew that if Yuuri had even a small inkling of how he had acted yesterday, he would most likely be a blushing, stuttering mess right now.

Viktor leaned his head against his arm and watched as Yuuri eagerly gobbled down his food, exchanging polite words with a grumpy Yurio between bites. Yuuri seemed to suddenly realize that Viktor was staring and blinked, startled, before offering him a shy smile. When Viktor beamed back at him, Yuuri’s eyes widened slightly and he quickly averted his gaze.

Viktor’s smile took on a slightly rueful edge. He couldn’t help but think back to the way that Yuuri had unabashedly snuggled up to him or the way he had voiced his thoughts without regard last night.

So that side of him only appeared when Yuuri became too tired to control himself, was it?

 

* * *

 

The second time it happened was right after the conclusion of Onsen on Ice. It was late by the time they had managed to wave off all their well-wishers and reporters and the first few stars were beginning to dot the darkening sky.

Viktor hummed a cheery, nonsensical tune as they walked back towards Yu-topia and Yuuri followed with a dazed look on his face. He was still struggling to wrap his mind around today’s turn of events, but as his adrenaline began to fade, the toll of having stayed up so late the night before to practice with Minako finally began to catch up to him and he started to lag behind Viktor.

“You did so well today, Yuuri!” Viktor couldn’t help but praise again.

Yuuri managed to snap out of his stupor long enough to blink bewildered eyes up at him. “I did?”

“Yes!” Viktor said, shooting him a wink. “It was very Eros!”

They stopped as they approached the front step that led into the house. Yuuri knew it was silly of him to do so, but he couldn’t help but ask, “You were watching me, right?”

“The whole time,” Viktor reassured. “Nobody could keep their eyes off of you.”

“I’m so glad.” He yawned widely before swaying alarmingly on his feet. Startled, Viktor managed to loop an arm around him and pull him closer just as his head began to loll to the side. Once Viktor managed to secure a firmer grip on him, Yuuri curled up contently against him.

“Did you like the performance, Viktor?” Yuuri murmured sleepily against his neck as Viktor half-dragged, half-carried him into the house.

“I did, Yuuri. You were absolutely wonderful out there. With such a performance, it was hard to believe that you were thinking about katsudon.”

“Not just katsudon,” he mumbled.

“What was that?”

“Was thinking of you,” Yuuri continued as he blinked blearily. “I imagined that I was dancing for you, Viktor.”  

Viktor bit his lip. ‘You already danced for me before,’ he wanted to say, ‘but with a lot less clothing on and I would very much like to see a repeat performance.’ He barely managed to quash the words before they escaped his traitorous mouth. “Were you now?” he asked lightly instead.

Yuuri nodded sleepily. “I was the beautiful woman who seduces the playboy.”

Exactly who was seducing who now? “Well, whatever helps you get into the mindset. I expect you to keep up this momentum all the way to the Grand Prix Final, okay?”

“Grand Prix Final…going to win it with you.” Yuuri managed to mumble sleepily before his breathing finally evened out.

Viktor watched him with a fond smile as he carried him the rest of the way to his room. It was a bit of a struggle to get him into bed as Yuuri kept clinging onto him, but he finally managed to pull off Yuuri’s shoes and tuck him under the covers. His student deserved a good rest after his hard work today.

 

* * *

 

After that, the sleepy side of Yuuri reappeared several more times, usually after particularly long or demanding practices. Due to Yuuri’s impressive stamina, it wasn’t as common of an occurrence as Viktor had hoped and as a coach, part of him did feel guilty for wanting to push his student to the point of exhaustion. But could you really blame him? A normal Yuuri was tempting enough, but a sleepy Yuuri, with his soft pouts and careless touches and honest words, was simply _irresistible_.

After a tiring day of practicing quads, Viktor learned that he apparently had the softest hair, “just like Vicchan’s.” Consequently, he also learned that Vicchan was the poodle that Yuuri had named after him (how cute!) and that his passing was the main reason behind Yuuri’s poor performance at last year’s Grand Prix Final.

When Yuuri overworked himself yet again trying to polish up the step sequence for his free skate, Viktor learned—with not a small amount of glee—that Yuuri apparently had a massive poster collection of him that used to decorate the ‘blank walls’ of his room (suddenly, Minako’s smirk back then made a lot more sense), but when he pressed the issue, not even a sleepy Yuuri was willing to divulge where he had hidden the posters.

He treasured these moments every time they occurred, these small glimpses into a side that Yuuri was still too shy to show him despite the breakthrough they made after their talk by the beach. He found it adorable how Yuuri, who usually shied away from his touches—though he had been allowing them more lately—would be the one to initiate them instead, aggressively cuddling up to him and clinging on to him like an overly affectionate octopus when Viktor didn’t hold him tight enough. Viktor’s album of sleeping Yuuri pictures grew quickly, soon coming in a close second behind his album of Makkachin pictures.

Yuuri’s sleepy ramblings were cute as well and they also had the added benefit of giving him invaluable insight to the thoughts that Yuuri kept closest to his chest. For all that Yuuri was an open book with his emotions, he was surprisingly hard to read sometimes and, now, after spending several long months together, Viktor wanted a verbal confirmation of Yuuri’s true feelings more than ever.

Viktor felt as though they had been dancing around each other for months now. He knew that something was there—he’s seen it in the pointed stares he caught Yuuri shooting his way sometimes (because he was always looking, even if Yuuri didn’t realize it), felt it in the charged atmosphere that occasionally developed, noticed it in the new layer of awareness that shimmered between them.

Viktor wanted—god, he wanted so badly—to take their relationship to the next level and he dared to hope (be still, my beating heart) that he had been reading the signs correctly this whole time and that Yuuri did feel the same way towards him, but he was unwilling to push and upset all the progress they made so far without any solid proof.

In the end, it was a sleepy Yuuri who answered his unasked question.

It wasn’t until after the press conference that followed the Chugoku, Shikoku, and Kyushu championships that Viktor received the confirmation he needed to act on his feelings.

The day had been long and eventful what with it being Viktor’s first public debut as Yuuri’s coach and Yuuri’s own first public competition since Sochi. After the competition ended, Viktor arrived back to Yu-topia first and settled in with the rest of Yuuri’s friends and family to watch Yuuri give his press conference.

When Yuuri finally arrived back home after the press conference was over, he spent another hour fending off questions and congratulations from all his gathered friends and family. It was incredibly late by the time Viktor and Yuuri finally managed to retreat into Yuuri’s room to have a moment to themselves.

By now, Yuuri was so exhausted that it didn’t take much for Viktor to convince him to rest his head on Viktor's lap so that Viktor could comb the knots out of his freshly washed hair.

“I’m so proud of you today, Yuuri,” Viktor said as he ran the comb gently through the raven locks. Yuuri’s hair was already fine enough as it is—him asking to comb his hair was more of an excuse for him to run his fingers through the soft strands than anything else. “All the other skaters were very taken with you.”

Yuuri hummed noncommittedly. Viktor’s methodical grooming seemed to have lulled him into a half-sedated state.

“How was the press conference?” Viktor asked. “It ran a bit longer than expected, didn’t it?”

“It was okay,” Yuuri murmured drowsily. “I wish that you could have been there though.”

“Maybe if I was, I could have prevented you from wearing such an ugly tie.” He gave a rather dramatic sigh. “That tie is a terrible color. You really should consider burning it.”

“Nooo,” Yuuri whined. “I really like that one!”

“I have lots of other ties if you wanted to borrow one for your next event,” Viktor continued. “They’re all very high quality. I have this dark blue one that’ll match your skin tone perfectly.”

Yuuri’s voice was half-muffled against his lap, but Viktor heard the next words clearly. “But this one’s my favorite. I bought it because the color reminded me of your eyes.”

Viktor was startled into silence. “O-Okay, you can keep that tie then.” Because really, what else could he say in face of something like that? He cleared his throat. “Actually, I’m more interested in knowing what you said during the press conference. It surprised me to see the normally shy Yuuri become so loud and passionate on public television.”

Yuuri shifted slightly so that he could blink sleepy eyes up at him. “You didn’t know what I said?”

“Well, you were all speaking in Japanese, for one,” Viktor said dryly. “It had to have been something interesting since Minako and the others kept shooting me the strangest looks afterwards. They wouldn't tell me what it was no matter how much I asked them though.”

“Do you want to know what I said?”

“Of course.” Viktor brushed a stray strand of hair from his forehead. “Like I said before, I want to know everything about you, Yuuri.”

Yuuri gave a small frown. “It wasn’t anything interesting though.”

“Yuuri, you’re easily the most interesting person I’ve met.” Viktor leaned in closer. “So, you’ll tell me won’t you?”

Yuuri yawned widely. “If that’s what you want.”

“It is.”

“Okay,” he agreed sleepily. He shifted slightly, settling into a more comfortable position on Viktor’s lap. Viktor watched as Yuuri’s breathing gradually deepened until he wondered whether or not he actually fell asleep. “Yuuri,” he prompted gently.

“Hm?”

“What did you say at the press conference?”

“We were asked to announce our themes for this season,” came the sleepy mumble.

“I gathered that much.” Viktor continued his gentle ministrations on Yuuri’s hair. Idly, he wondered how long it would take for Yuuri to notice that he had long since replaced the comb with his fingers.  “So you announced your theme then? Love, right?” Yuuri hummed in agreement.

“And then? I’m sure that’s not all you talked about. You said a lot during your presentation.”

“I also had to explain how I came to choose my theme for this year.” He paused for a moment to yawn. “And I also talked about you, of course.”

Viktor’s breath hitched. His fingers paused in their movement, earning an annoyed protest from Yuuri. “What about me?”

“I talked about how you opened my eyes and changed the way I see the world around me. You’re the one who made me come to see that love and support exists all around me.” Yuuri looked up at him with a soft smile. His eyes were still bleary with sleep, but he looked so utterly sincere that it made Viktor’s heart ache. “Because of you, I’ve realized what love is. I finally realized that I don’t have to fight alone, that I haven’t been fighting alone this whole time.”

“I made you realize what love is?” If anything, Viktor should be the one saying that to Yuuri. He didn’t have anything he could even call a life until he met him.

“I’ll tell you a secret, Viktor,” Yuuri slurred sleepily. “Well, not so much a secret since I said this at the press conference today,” he frowned slightly as in afterthought. “You’re the first person I’ve wanted to hold on to, you know. It’s the first time I ever felt this way about anyone.”

“You said that you wanted to hold on to me?” Viktor repeated incredulously. He did a double take. “Wait, and you said on this on _national TV_?”

Yuuri nodded. “I still don’t really know what this feeling means, but what I do know is that I want you to stay close to me.” He was startlingly clear-eyed for a moment as he delivered his heartfelt words. “I want you to stay by my side, Viktor.”

Viktor drew back for a moment, overwhelmed, as his heart began to beat a fast staccato in his chest. It took a long moment before he could compose himself. “Does that mean you—” His words were met with soft snoring. “Yuuri? Yuuri.” He glanced down to see that Yuuri’s eyes had fluttered shut; he had succumbed to sleep in the brief moment that Viktor had looked away.

Viktor wanted to ask him more, but Yuuri’s words was confirmation enough.

He knew what he had to do next.

The next day, Viktor suggested that they take a walk by the beach after they finished lunch.

Yuuri looked up from his bento, puzzled. “Don’t we need to practice though?”

Viktor shoved his hands into his coat pockets, hoping to hide the trembling in his hands. “Don't worry, we’ll have plenty of time to do so afterwards. There’s something I wanted to discuss with you first.”

Bewildered, but willing enough, Yuuri followed Viktor down the familiar path to the shoreline. As they walked in silence, Viktor tried to focus on the gentle sounds of the waves breaking across the shore and the seagulls crying overhead in order to soothe the anxious knot in his chest. He had purposely chosen the beach, the place where Yuuri had first willingly opened up to him for their talk. He thought it was fitting, considering that he was about to bare his heart.

He took a deep breath and finally said, “I’ve been thinking about something lately.”

Yuuri glanced over at him. “Thinking about what?”

“Us.”

“Us?” When Viktor merely stared at him, Yuuri began to look flustered. “What about us? Did I-Did I do something wrong? Oh god, this is because I’m a bad student, isn’t it? I’m sorry! I-”

“Yuuri.”

Something about Viktor’s tone of voice made him stop. When Yuuri turned to look at him with wide eyes, Viktor met him with a gaze filled with intent, letting his eyes reflect a fraction of what he was feeling.

“Tell me to stop if this isn’t what you want,” he whispered. He gently cupped a hand over Yuuri’s cheek before leaning down to press a soft kiss to his lips. It was extremely chaste, barely a brush of the lips more than anything, but Viktor’s lips were tingling at the end of it. When it became clear that Yuuri wasn’t responding, Viktor quickly dropped his hand and watched anxiously for his reaction. “Yuuri?”

Yuuri touched his lips wordlessly for a moment, his eyes glazed over in shock. When Viktor worriedly repeated his name again, he finally snapped out of his stupor. He blinked several times, still looking stunned, before finally meeting Viktor’s worried gaze. “How did you know?” he whispered. A pretty blush spilled over his cheeks. “I thought…I thought I was the only one who felt this way.” Yuuri began to babble more as the embarrassment hit him full force. “I knew that there was no way you could feel the same way about me, so I was so embarrassed when I-”

Viktor decided that kissing him again was a most efficient way of cutting off his unfounded concerns. Yuuri made a startled sound in the back of his throat, but melted into the kiss soon enough.

Viktor happily spent the next few minutes memorizing the shape and softness of Yuuri’s lips, the breathy sounds he made when he was kissed just so, the feeling of finally getting to hold him in his arms. He felt as though he was drowning in his emotions and it was both too much and not enough at the same time.

When they finally broke apart, they were both pink-faced and breathless. “This is okay then?” Viktor asked as he gently caressed his cheek.

The blush settled higher on Yuuri’s cheeks, even as he unconsciously leaned into Viktor’s touch. “Yes. Is this what you want though?” he asked uncertainly, unknowingly echoing his sleepy words from before.

“Yuuri, nothing would make me happier.” He let his eyes speak the depths of his feelings.

Some part of him must have finally gotten the message across because Yuuri finally looked at him with something akin to hope shining in his eyes. “Oh.” Yuuri gifted him with a soft, tremulous smile that seemed to light up his entire face. “Okay then.”

And that was that.

 

* * *

 

One tearful conversation, startlingly beautiful free skate, publicized kiss, and silver medal later, the Cup of China finally drew to an end. Phichit had invited them to come celebrate with everyone afterwards, but Viktor had politely declined, citing how Yuuri had essentially been running on no sleep for the past 24 hours.

It was a good thing that Viktor turned down the celebratory offer when he did because as soon as they got back to their hotel room, he barely managed to get Yuuri into a change of clothes before Yuuri all but threw himself face down on the bed. There he stayed, unmoving, for a very long moment. It wasn’t until Viktor sat down next to him on the bed and began to comb through his hair before Yuuri moved to snuggle in closer.

“You just keep continuing to surprise me, Yuuri,” Viktor remarked. “Adding that quad flip in the end like that. What possessed you?”

“You’re the one who surprised me,” Yuuri replied around a wide yawn. “I can’t believe you kissed me like that in front of everyone.”

Viktor had the decency to look slightly embarrassed. On hindsight, it probably wasn’t the best idea to tackle his student onto the ice like that, especially with the press and everyone else around them, but at that moment, he was just so overcome by Yuuri’s performance that he had no other way to express it. “I couldn’t help it. You were just so stunning, I couldn’t wait another minute.”

Yuuri gave him a drowsy smile. “I didn’t really mind. It was a pleasant surprise.” Viktor felt his heart swell with affection. Ever since they had gotten together, Yuuri had become more open with him, but a sleepy Yuuri remained the most honest with his thoughts.

“Still,” Viktor felt the need to caution. “We’ll probably be getting lots of questions about our relationship from now on.” He ran a finger down Yuuri’s cheek, feeling that same surge of affection again when Yuuri nuzzled up against it. “You don’t mind that, do you?”

“Not really. I’m actually a very selfish person, Viktor,” he confessed. “I want the whole world to know that I’m the one who took you away from them.”

“Well, I wouldn’t exactly mind it if it’s you who’s doing the taking. Besides, you already stole my heart a long time ago,” Viktor added with a wink.

“I’m still not quite sure how that happened,” he mused.            

“Katsuki Yuuri, the man who stole Viktor Nikiforov from the world,” Viktor continued. “I like it, it has a nice ring to it.”

“Viktor.” Yuuri shot him a faintly exasperated look. He was much too tired to be dealing with his theatrics right now.

“Or should I say, Katsuki Yuuri, the next Grand Prix Final gold medalist? That sounds even better.”

He expected Yuuri to react with another quip, but he was met with silence instead. He glanced down, concerned, only to see that Yuuri had turned away from him. “Yuuri?”

“What if I can’t?”

The uncertain whisper was so different from the warm, teasing tone of earlier that Viktor was taken aback for a moment. “What do you mean? You’re going to win gold.” Viktor aimed for a teasing tone with his next words. “Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten your goal already. I thought forgetfulness was supposed to be my thing.”

Yuuri suddenly sat up, startling him. “But what if I don’t even make it to the Grand Prix Final?”

Viktor laughed lightly. “Yuuri, that’s nonsense. You’ve been doing so well lately. You got a silver medal just today and I know you’ll sweep the Rostelecom Cup as long as you give it your best like you always do.”

“But what if my best isn’t not enough?” Yuuri stared back with beseeching eyes. “I barely managed to shake off my nerves today to get silver. What if I choke up again at the Rostelecom Cup and next time, I’m not able to get over it? Everyone in Russia will be watching me with critical eyes, judging me, judging _us_ , through my skating. They’ll all be hoping to see me fail.”

“You won’t-”

“But what if I do? Then all your coaching, all your time, would have been wasted.” He visibly deflated. “You’ll realize that being my coach was a mistake because you can do so much better than me and then you’ll quit.”

Viktor’s smile had long since slid off his face. He knew that Yuuri had self-doubts—he had heard Yuuri sleepily confess more than a few times that he didn’t think he would succeed if he didn’t improve more, but it was never anything to this extent. Did he really think so little of Viktor? “Where did you get such a ridiculous idea?”

“You said it today,” he softly. “I know you didn’t mean it, but I know I’m not good enough for you. I’m afraid you’ll just realize it sooner rather than later.”

“Never.” Viktor knew that he shouldn’t have mentioned quitting even as a way to try to shock Yuuri out of his nerves, but he never claimed to be good with feelings. Still, he was greatly regretting his words right about now. Was this really what Yuuri thought? If so, he had to make his stance clear. “If anything, you’re the one who’s too good for me.”  

“But-”

“No. You’re perfect, Yuuri,” Viktor insisted. He cupped the younger skater’s face so that Yuuri’s eyes, bleary with sleep, but still rimmed with anxiety, stared back at his own. “Even if, by some impossible chance, you fail to make it into the Grand Prix Final, I’m not going to stop being your coach.”

Yuuri was the first to avert his eyes. “I just don’t want to disappoint you.”

“You won’t. And you never will, Yuuri.”

“If you say so.” He still looked unconvinced and it seemed like he wanted to say more, but then he released another wide yawn.

Viktor immediately stopped them. “You’re tired. Go to sleep now—we’ll talk more tomorrow.” As Viktor tucked him into bed, he leaned down to press his lips softly against Yuuri’s. Sleepy as he was, Yuuri wasn’t too tired to reciprocate, giving a contented sigh as he did.

Viktor felt a smile tug on his lips. He brushed back a few strands of Yuuri’s hair before pressing another kiss to his hairline. “Don’t think about such silly things and just focus on getting some rest right now, okay?” Yuuri barely had time to nod before he was drifting off.

He watched Yuuri in slumber for a moment, the tense lines near his brow smoothed out for once. He sighed once before finally heading out the room.

Viktor leaned back against the door with a troubled frown. He thought that he was beginning to understand Yuuri more, especially since he had the occasional sleepy confession to guide him on Yuuri’s inner thoughts, but tonight’s conversation left him with the startling realization that he had only just begun to brush the surface.

It wasn’t until today’s free skate that he began to realize just how crippling Yuuri’s self-doubt could be and he wanted to discuss this issue with someone in order to get more insight about Yuuri as both his coach and boyfriend, but other than perhaps Minako, he had no idea who else he could talk to about this. Other than his family, the Nishigoris, and Minako, who else was Yuuri particularly close to? He thought back to everyone that Yuuri was acquainted with and suddenly, knew just who to ask.  

“Viktor?” Phichit looked surprised to see him.

“Hi!” Viktor said, shooting him a winning smile. “Congratulations again on your win! Though if you don’t mind me saying so, that gold medal will be Yuuri’s next time.”

Phichit laughed good-naturedly. “We’ll see about that. What’s up? I thought you went back earlier with Yuuri in order to rest.”

“We did, Yuuri’s sleeping now. He’s had a very long day.”

“I can see that. But I’m surprised you managed to extract yourself from him then.”

Viktor tilted his head. “What do you mean?”

Phichit frowned. “You don’t know how Yuuri’s like when he gets overly tired? I thought you were together-”

“I do know,” Viktor affirmed. He paused for a moment. “So does he always-”

“-snuggle up to the nearest person like an overly affectionate octopus when he gets to that state? Yeah, he does.” Phichit confirmed. “That’s why I said I was surprised that you managed to get him to let go of you long enough to leave.”

Viktor quirked a smile. “He usually does, but I think that this time, he was honestly too tired to even cuddle.”

“Too tired to even cuddle?” Phichit’s eyebrows raised in surprise. “Wow, that’s a first.”

“So you’ve seen him when gets like that then? You must have since you were his roommate.”

Phichit nodded. “He knows that he has no control over himself once he gets tired enough, so as you can probably imagine, he doesn’t like it when people sees him when he’s like that. Whenever we had a particularly exhausting practice back in Detroit, Yuuri would always keep to himself at the end of it, even if we were tired to the point of collapsing. Even as his roommate, it took me a while before he opened up enough to let me help him when he became tired like that.”

Viktor frowned in confusion. “But he fell asleep near me within the first week or so of me arriving?”

Phichit had on a very visible look of surprise. “He did? He must have really wanted to open up to you then.”

“What do you mean?”

Phichit gave a sad little smile. “I’m sure you’ve noticed, but Yuuri isn’t the most confident person. He comes off as timid and shy when you first meet him and it takes a while before he lets people in. But he’s always held you in high regard. He probably wanted to open up to you, but didn’t know how to express it.”

Viktor raised an eyebrow. “So he decided to do so by letting me stay by him when he became tired enough?”

“Like I said, it takes a while before Yuuri is comfortable enough with someone to open up to them. The fact that he let you get so close to him after barely meeting is a great sign of trust on his part.” Viktor thought back to Minako’s words and suddenly, the way she acted back then made a lot more sense.

“I didn’t realize…”

Phichit smiled wryly. “He has always held you in really high regard, you know. He was probably worried that you would find him lacking and the last thing he wants to do is disappoint you.”

“Yuuri is not lacking in any way,” Viktor protested vehemently. “He’s perfect the way he is.” He heaved a deep sigh. “I don’t understand why he doesn’t see that though. He’s so extremely talented and has so much potential as a skater.”

Phichit sighed, looking resigned. “It’s always been like this. Yuuri has always been unreliable when it came to his own self-image. Even now, he still thinks he’s just one of Japan’s dime-a-dozen skaters.”

Viktor gave him a look of disbelief. “He’s Japan’s ace.”

“I know.”

“He was the only one to qualify for the Grand Prix last year for Japan.”

“I know.”

“He is arguably one of the top skaters in the world.”

“ _I know_. But he gets so caught up in his own insecurities sometimes that he doesn’t see it. That’s why it’s important that he has supportive people who are willing to stand by him and remind him of how much he’s loved.”

_Just have more faith than I do that I’ll win!_

“I understand.” Viktor shot him a warm smile. “You’re a good friend, Phichit.”

Phichit flashed a quick grin in return. “I try. Now, are you going to tell me when the wedding is? You guys better not get hitched without telling me! I totally call dibs on being Yuuri’s best man.”

 

* * *

 

Their temporary separation during the Rostelecom Cup, no matter how brief, really drove home the fact that Viktor was unable to live apart from Yuuri anymore. Yuuri was his everything now and Viktor wasn’t sure he was physically capable of carrying on without Yuuri in his life. Not that he could ever think about leaving him, he thought as he looked down at the Japanese skater, who had all but buried himself against Viktor, clutching onto him as though he would disappear if he let go even for an instant.

Yuuri had been more physically affectionate than usual, not letting go of his hand ever since their reunion at the airport despite some glances they received from passerbys. When Viktor hailed a taxi to take them back home, Yuuri nestled his face against his neck and hasn’t moved from his spot since then.

“Yuuri, we’re here.”

“Carry me,” he demanded, voice slightly muffled through the thick material of Viktor’s jacket.

“Of course, love, whatever you want.” When he reached the bedroom, he managed to coax Yuuri to let go long enough for them to change into more comfortable clothing. Then he settled them down on the bed, Yuuri’s arms still gripping tight around him.

Almost unconsciously, his fingers began to stroke through Yuuri’s hair, smoothing through the strands until Yuuri’s eyelids began to grow heavy with sleep. “I’m so sorry that I wasn’t there for your free skate today,” Viktor started softy. “I wasn’t physically there for you, but you were still so strong, Yuuri.”

“It was the hardest performance I’ve ever done,” Yuuri admitted against his chest.

Regret choked him. Viktor had learned from a disgruntled Yurio that Yuuri had run around trying to hug everyone after the competition was over. _All because you weren’t there for him_ , his traitorous mind whispered. He tightened his grip on Yuuri, as if hoping he could make it up to him now. “I love you so much,” Viktor professed before pressing a lingering kiss to his hairline.

“Love you too,” Yuuri mumbled sleepily back. There was a long moment of silence where Viktor thought that Yuuri had fallen asleep, but then he heard a quiet murmur of, “Viktor.”

“Hm?”

“Don’t let go of me.” Viktor waited to see if he would elaborate more, but it seemed like exhaustion had finally caught up to the younger skater.

“Of course not.” Viktor whispered into the darkness. He brought Yuuri’s hand up to kiss his knuckles again. As he idly traced patterns around Yuuri’s far too empty ring finger, Viktor thought about how he could bind the both of them together forever. If it all worked out, Yuuri would never have to worry about Viktor leaving him ever again.

 

* * *

 

Yuuri shouldn’t have worried. In the end, it wasn’t Viktor who tried to leave first.

 

* * *

 

“After the Grand Prix Final, let’s end this.”

“Huh?” His ears must be playing tricks on him. Viktor was sure that he had misheard, but a single glance at Yuuri’s somber, but determined eyes told him otherwise.

And with that, Viktor broke.

How could he say such a thing? After telling him not to let go, it turned out that Yuuri was the one who decided to break away first. In his anger, he didn’t realize that the tears began to fall until they dripped down onto his ring, the shine of the golden band dulled by the water. Did the last 8 months mean nothing to him?

“I didn’t realize that Katsuki Yuuri was such a selfish person,” he breathed.

He watched Yuuri flinch slightly before he tacked on stubbornly. “Yes, I came to this selfish decision by myself.” Viktor barely heard Yuuri’s next words over the sound of his breaking heart. “I’m retiring.”

There was nothing to stop his tears from falling in earnest then.

Viktor felt as though he had been slapped. Yuuri’s announcement felt as though it came out of nowhere. Never in all the long months they had spent together, not once in all the times that Viktor was in the presence of a sleepy Yuuri did Yuuri give any indication that he was planning to retire at the end of the Grand Prix series. Given these reasons, it was understandable why Viktor felt completely blindsided by this situation.

“I need to take a walk,” he said tersely, standing to grab a coat. He couldn’t have a rational conversation right now, not when his feelings were all over the place.

Yuuri look bewildered, and a little hurt, by his curt reaction. “Viktor?”

“I’ll be back. Don’t wait up.”

When he finally came back after a long walk, he saw that Yuuri had taken his advice to heart—the younger skater was curled up restlessly beneath the blankets, but a troubled frown marred his features even in slumber. Viktor had managed to cool off after taking some time to himself, but he still felt a lingering sense of betrayal. Despite what he was feeling though, he couldn’t help but lean down to run his fingers through the soft, black strands.

Yuuri shifted slightly in his sleep. “Viktor?” he mumbled sleepily.

“I’m here.”

“I’m sorry.” The words were slightly slurred with sleep, but Viktor could understand him well enough. “I upset you earlier.”

Viktor exhaled deeply. “You did. I wish that you had talked to me before coming to your decision. As of right now, I still don’t understand why you’re planning to retire. You still have a good several years behind you.”

“I can’t be selfish this time.” Viktor said nothing, but continued to stroke through his hair, silently prompting him to continue. “I know you miss competing. I saw how you looked at the other skaters today. And as much as I want you to keep coaching me, you staying on as my coach means that I’m killing you competitively.” A pained look passed over Yuuri’s face for a moment. “I can’t take you from the ice, Viktor. You belong there. I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself if I take you away from the thing you love the most. You’ve inspired me and so many skaters and you’ll continue to inspire many more. So I can’t be selfish any longer. This time, I’m setting you free.”

Viktor was silent for a long moment, long enough for Yuuri’s breathing to even out and for him to fall back asleep. “You’re wrong,” he said quietly. “You may think you’re setting me free, but do you really think that I would want to go back to the ice if you’re not there?”

It was unexpectedly cathartic confessing to a sleeping Yuuri like this, knowing that Yuuri wouldn’t be able to retort before he got all his words out. “I do love skating, but I love you more. Truth is, when you asked me to stay on as your coach until you retired, I felt conflicted. I was happy, yes, but part of me was also in mourning because I knew that it would mean the end of my career.”

He ran his fingers through Yuuri’s hair again. “I know it’s not something you want to hear, but I was, and still am, ready to give up my career for you. It’s true that part of me would probably still yearn for the ice if I did, but you gave me something far more important. For much too long, I have given everything to skating, dedicated my entire life to it.”

He gave him a soft smile. “I may have had all the gold medals in the world, but it wasn’t until I met you that I realized just how much I was lacking in life. I had nothing, but you gave me everything. You brought love and meaning into my life, Yuuri. You _gave_ me a life. So if you think for once that skating is more important to me than you are, then you don’t know me very well at all.”

Viktor sighed and immediately turned to head into the bathroom, so he didn’t see how Yuuri’s frame suddenly stiffened up after he left or how he suddenly shifted over with silently shaking shoulders to lay face down on his pillow or how the pillow had developed an unexpected patch of wetness.

 

* * *

 

When all was said and done at the Grand Prix Final, Viktor and Yuuri were finally spared a moment to talk, the first one since their strained conversation.

“Being your coach really is bad for my heart,” Viktor declared as he flopped down onto the bed. “First you tell me that you’re retiring, then you turn around and tell me that you’re not and on top of that, you ask me to stay on as your coach when I’m making my own comeback. I’m an old man, Yuuri, you can’t keep surprising me like this.”

“It’s not like I planned it,” Yuuri protested as he came to curl up beside Viktor. “I was surprised too.” He let a stray yawn escape. “Sorry.”

“It’s fine, it has been a long day, hasn’t it? Let’s get to bed.” Viktor kissed him softly on the lips. “You’re absolutely amazing, you know that? You have no idea how much I love you.”

“Mm, I love you too,” Yuuri murmured.

Viktor leaned back with a slightly rueful smile. “Now if only I could hear you say that to me when you’re not sleepy for once.”

Yuuri frowned slightly. “But I’m not.”

Viktor’s smile turned fond. “You’re usually only this bold when you get tired enough to say exactly what’s on your mind, you know.”

“I’m really not tired,” Yuuri insisted. “I may seem like I am, but I’m really awake right now. I actually had some coffee earlier.”

Viktor’s brows furrowed together. “You don’t drink coffee though.”

“I don’t usually, but I knew I would be tired by the end of the day and I wanted to be fully awake when I was with you later.”

“You’re absolutely adorable, Yuuri,” Viktor cooed. “Almost as adorable as you get when you’re sleepy. It’s a shame you don’t remember how you act when you’re like that though.”

Yuuri cleared his throat. “I actually do.”

“Eh?”

Yuuri scratched at his cheek, embarrassed. “I’m fully aware of the way I act once I hit a certain point of tiredness. Minako-sensei and everyone else thinks that I don’t remember anything when I’m in that state, but I actually do.” A blush broke across his cheeks. “It’s just embarrassing when I think about how I act or what I say when I’m tired enough, so I try not to remember.”

Viktor blinked at him, uncomprehending for a moment. “So you’re saying that you remember every instance of the way you acted around me when you were tired or sleepy?” A timid nod.

“The very first time when you were practicing for Onsen on Ice?”

Yuuri shrunk in on himself. “Yes.”

“The time right after you won Onsen on Ice? When you confessed to me about Vicchan or your posters? The press conference? All those other times as well?”

With each named example, Yuuri grew redder and redder. “Yes.” He blinked large doe eyes at him. “You’re not mad, are you?”

“Mad? Why would I be mad?” Viktor asked, perplexed. “I think it’s cute,” he chuckled, flustering Yuuri some more. “But why don’t you just tell me those things directly?"

“I’ve never really had the courage to say some of those things when I’m fully awake and aware,” Yuuri said, looking a little self-conscious. “Sometimes, it’s easier to say them when I’m sleepy or tired enough and my anxiety isn’t so loud. But there’s been something that I’ve been wanting to say to you for a while now when I’m fully conscious and alert.” A soft smile bloomed across his face as he looked Viktor directly in the eyes.

“I love you, Vitya.”

Viktor’s eyes went wide. “What did you say?”

Yuuri blushed some more, but his words were steady. “I said that I love you, Vitya.” At once, Viktor knocked them both back down onto the bed in his haste to pepper Yuuri’s face full of happy kisses.

“I love you too, Yuuri, _lyubov moya,_ my _solnyshko,_ my _zolotse_ ,” he exclaimed, punctuating each endearment with another kiss. He leaned back to beam at Yuuri, who was looking up at him with contentment and _love_ (love, his mind chanted, love, love, love, love, _love_ ) in his eyes. “You have no idea how happy I am right now. Quick, pinch me, I must be dreaming right now.”

Yuuri gave him an absolutely beatific smile. “Would this better?” he asked cheekily before pulling him back down for another kiss.

Viktor had no complaints.

 

* * *

 

The piercing shrill of an alarm broke through the quiet morning. Yuuri gave a soft groan and groped around sleepily for the off switch. He finally managed to silence his alarm and tried to sit up in bed only to have his progress impeded by the iron grip around his waist. When he glanced down, he saw that his very much asleep fiancé was clinging onto him for dear life.   

Yuuri felt a fond smile tug at his lips and he leaned down to press a feather-soft kiss to the silver hair. “Good morning, Vitya.”

Viktor responded with incoherent mumbling and by snuggling closer to him.

Yuuri chuckled at his antics. “Let go, Vitya, I need to get up.” He tried to disentangle himself, but Viktor seemed to have sprouted an additional pair of arms from the relentless way that he was holding onto him. Yuuri tried to break free, but Viktor merely tightened his hold. “Viktor, I really need to go or else I’ll be late.”

“Nooo, stay here with me,” Viktor mumbled sleepily. He proceeded to nuzzle his head against Yuuri’s chest, as if his actions could convince him otherwise.  

“You know I can’t. Today’s the first day that Madam Baranovskaya agreed to take me on. If I’m late, she and Yakov will have both our skins.” When there was no sign of Viktor moving anytime soon, Yuuri shoved at him gently. “Viktor.”

His fiancé finally cracked one brilliant blue eye open. “Mm, good morning, _lyubov moya_.” His voice was still heavy with sleep.

“Good morning, Vitya.” Yuuri said as he greeted him with a soft morning kiss. Viktor hummed contently. Now that Viktor was awake, Yuuri thought that he would finally be able to extricate himself, but when he tried to leave the bed, two strong arms wrapped themselves around his middle again.

“Viktor…”

“You’re so cruel to me, Yuuri,” he pouted. “First you wake me up from the greatest dream ever and now you’re trying to leave me all alone and cold in the bed.”

“I’m sure you’ll be able to survive a few hours without me.”

“Noooooo, I’ll wither away without your presence!”

Yuuri heaved an exasperated sigh. “I forget how dramatic you are sometimes.”

Viktor gave a self-satisfied smile. “You knew what you were getting into when you decided to marry to me.”

“We’re not actually married yet,” Yuuri pointed out wryly. “It was you who set the condition, remember? We can't get married until I win at least five gold medals.”

Viktor gave a devastatingly effective pout, but Yuuri had long since grown immune to his tactics. “You know I was joking, Yuuuuri. We could get married right now if you-”

“No.”

Viktor sobbed into a pillow. “My husband-”

“-fiancé-”

“- _husband_ -to-be is so mean to me.”

“You’ll be fine. You have Makkachin with you.” But when Viktor continued to shoot pitiful puppy dog eyes at him, Yuuri finally gave in and leaned in for another kiss. “So what was your dream about?”

“Hmm?”

“You mentioned how I woke you up from the greatest dream ever. What was it about?” Yuuri aimed an impish smile at him. “Were you dreaming about me?”

“I only dream about you,” Viktor declared. “My dreams are filled with nothing but my beautiful husband.”

“Fiancé,” Yuuri corrected teasingly. “Then what was so different about this dream?”

Viktor gave a pleased hum. “You were pole dancing in it.”

Yuuri closed his eyes. “Viktor, no.”

“Yuuri, yes.” he chirped back. “We could recreate it, you know. I’ll order in a pole, we can break out some champagne, really make it authentic and all.” He shot him a sly wink. “You would really be making my dreams come true if you did.”

“It was a one-time thing,” Yuuri insisted. “I am never getting that drunk ever again.”

Viktor gave a disappointed whine. “Won’t you at least stay in and cuddle with me then? I’m sure you can always reschedule your practice.”

“Stop being ridiculous. You know very well that I can’t.”

Viktor pouted again, but then he let his eyes hood over and his tone turn sultry. “Are you sure you can’t stay?” He stretched up to mouth at the shell of Yuuri’s ear, drawing a shiver from him. “I’m sure I can think of something that will make you want to stay in bed with me.”

Yuuri closed his eyes against the sensations that Viktor was drawing out of him as he continued to mouth along his jawline. With some effort, he forced his eyes back open and shoved Viktor’s hands away from where they were steadily drifting downwards. “For the last time, _no_ , Viktor.”

“Fine, fine.” Viktor pulled away with bad grace. “At least give your lonely fiancé one last kiss before you go?”

Yuuri sighed, but agreed easily enough. Viktor surged up to meet him and soon, the simple peck turned into a longer and much more heated kiss. When Viktor’s hands began to wander downwards again, Yuuri nipped lightly at his bottom lip in reproach.

He finally managed to break free a moment later. He could almost feel the brilliant blush that was staining his cheeks. “I’ll see you later then,” he said a little breathlessly.

“Hurry back to me.” There was a brief pause. “Yuuri?”

“Yes?”

“I was thinking, if I were to install a pole at the rink, is there any chance of you-”

“Keep dreaming.”

**Author's Note:**

> I'm the type of person who basically loses control of my brain-to-mouth filter once I hit a certain threshold of tiredness and from what we saw in episode 7, (ex: his outburst before the Cup of China FS, when he was running on basically no sleep) I feel like Yuuri might be the same. 
> 
> Anyways, thank you for taking the time to read this. (whispers) Give us season 2.


End file.
